


You're Not Invincible

by All_the_Queer



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, But chat gets wrecked pretty early on, Character developmeeeeeent, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt, Kidnapping, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is a Savage, Sad Ray of Sunshine, Slow Burn, adrien is a sad boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-18 14:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11876169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_the_Queer/pseuds/All_the_Queer
Summary: “No, wait, I’m good to go!” She watched him try to scramble to his feet and gasp painfully as his wrist tried to take his weight.“No. You wait here.” She pushed him back down. “Besides, you don’t have to pretend to be invincible. We’ve been fighting together for how long now? I can tell when you’re hurt.”His resolve crumbled. “But we’re a team! I can’t just let you—”“A good teammate knows when to step back. You’re no use to me dead.”“But I’m no use just sitting here either! I’m the distraction, remember?” He smirked. “As always.”“Just let me protect you. I’ll figure it out.” She smiled. “Ya gonna trust me, kitty?”When Adrien and Marinette are trapped together by powerful villains, it takes all they have to find a way out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is my first fic ever on this site and my first time writing for this fandom!! I'm excited to be here and excited to share what I'm working on! This is here just so that other fans can enjoy a good story with our beloved super-duo, so please be kind :) Love you and thanks for giving my fic a chance!

It had been shaping up to be a pretty boring day: classes weren’t touching on anything remotely interesting, Adrien hadn’t shown up yet, and she was scribbling the one-hundredth heart around his name in her notebook… Until Alya grabbed her arm a split-second before the alarms started blaring. Everyone jumped out of their skin and a few people screamed.

“Alya, come on!” Marinette had already packed up her things and was on her way out the door when she realized her best friend wasn’t behind her. Alya’s eyes were glued to the classroom window.

“...Marinette look.” A giant, sturdily built villain was making its way downtown, walking fast but who knows where its home was. Marinette’s eyes grew wide as she saw the devastation down on the streets. She was ready to jump into action, but then her gaze fell on her frightened classmates. First, she had to make sure everyone was okay here.

“Alya, it’s gonna be okay, we’ve just got to--”

An ecstatic glint surfaced on her face. _Oh no_ , Marinette knew what that meant. “Supervillains! I’ve gotta get down there!” She immediately raced towards the door but Marinette grabbed her arm, yanking her back.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re my best friend. You can’t just run out there and put yourself in danger. What would I do without you?” Hopefully her puppy dog eyes would help the guilt trip work its magic. All the other students had already calmed down enough to file out of the door and make their way to the emergency exit.  
Silence filled the classroom as Alya started back in defiance, crashes and screams could be heard faintly through the window pane. Marinette flinched at every one. She should be out there already! Not dealing with her stubborn bestie.

“Alya, please!”

“Fine. But if Ladybug shows up, I have to go out there.”

Marinette sighed. “I guess that’s as safe as I can get you.” She panted as she slid her hand around Alya’s wrist again and pulled her through the classroom door. “You can still catch up to our class!” They began running down the hallway until her best friend stopped suddenly, knocking Marinette off-balance.

“Whoa wait. Where are you going?” Alya crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow.

“Well, um… I… left my penpad in the classroom!”

“...Fine. I’ll see you down there.” Alya took off in the direction of their classmates.

Marinette puffed out a sigh of relief as she turned on her heels and sprinted back to the classroom. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, she halted and scrambled to get the door closed.

“Tikki!”

“I know, Marinette,” the tiny kwami slipped out of her bag, already beginning her transformation. “You’ve got to get down there.”

 

***

 

_Okay, where is she?_ Adrien didn’t like admitting he needed help but… okay he needed help. This dude was waaayyy too big to be fair. And way too quick. He dodged and weaved as giant fists flew towards him. “Jeez, don’t you ever get tired?” He yelled up to his opponent, who towered over him.

He was met only with a grunt of annoyance and a swift kick to his back which sent him rolling down a narrow alley and far away from the fray. When he tried to stand, a flare of pain shot up his spine like he had just been hit with a cinder block. “Oooookay. Ouch. I guess that means no fraternizing with the enemy.”

Well, that went well.

 

***

 

As soon as Marinette landed on a red rooftop, scampering feet could be heard climbing up the wall. “Took you long enough!” Chat swung up to join Marinette as she surveyed the area.

“At least I’m here now.” She shot back. “I am sorry though. We’re partners, I shouldn’t have kept you waiting.” She took in his bruised and bashed exterior. She really shouldn’t have kept him waiting.

He smiled. “I think I’ll eventually be able to forgive you. Besides, I was hardly breaking a sweat.” His arms flexed dramatically. “This guy isn’t as good as he thinks he is. Just big.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Alright, big we can work with. That all?”

“Yeah, he’s just big and actually pretty fast. No real powers besides that. At least… none that he’s used.” His brows knitted together.

“Chat? Got something on your mind? Did he do something strange before I got here?”

“No, no. Just been destroying Paris. It’s just— oh, there goes my favorite flower shop!—they usually have more powers than that, right? Like, it has to be more than just ‘Hulk smash’ don’t you think?” He crawled towards her and sat down, ready to strategize.

“You actually make some decent points now and then.” She settled down, too. The beginnings of a plan stewing.

He leaned forward so their noses brushed. “Well thank you, m’lady. I try.”

“Okay, enough of that.” She shooed his face away.

“Oh, I know that look.”

_Well, he sure recovered quickly._

“You’ve got something, don’t ya? Care to share?” His eyelids slid to half-mast.

Marinette rolled her eyes but he looked like such a dork a giggle escaped her. “If you can manage to land a hit on him and distract him long enough for me to trip him with my yo-yo, we may gain the upper-hand and be able to figure out what item has been possessed.”

“Ugh, I had a feeling I was going to be the distraction.” He sighed and stood, cracking his neck. “I’ll land a hit, no problemo. You just stand back and watch.” He winked and practically danced across roofs to get into position.

 

***

 

Adrien was on fire; he hadn’t been hit once in his effort to get into a good hiding place from which to pounce. He flipped to the ground to run along alleys and small streets as well as staying out of sight. His mind wandered. He was overjoyed that Ladybug was finally letting him in on her plans instead of just jumping into action and asking questions later. Yes, his little kitty heart was doing much better nowadays; less mini-heart attacks as she flung herself into the mouth of a _freaking dinosaur_. And, who knows, maybe her trust in him meant something… okay, he needed to focus.

He didn’t know how well the villain could see but he didn’t want to find out and add another bruise to his growing collection. He turned on his heels and began to scamper up a wall, hoping to get a good view of the beast. A grunt resounded on his left and he jumped so hard he nearly lost his footing. It was closer than he thought. He dug his claws into the building and hung, listening.

Thump. Thump. THUMP.

_Closer. Closer. Closer. Almost._

The rumble of the villain’s footsteps vibrated through his entire body as he clung to the wall for dear life. He scurried up the last few inches and quickly peeked over the top of the building… And accidentally made direct eye contact with the villain. _Uh oh_. “Heh heh…” He turned on the charm. “Well aren’t you just looking ravaging today!”

The villain swatted at him in… was that annoyance? He flipped upwards, and out of reach, “ravishing! I meant _ravishing!”_ His feet touched down gracefully on tree-sized fingers before quickly pushing off again and flying directly into the villain’s face.

His staff instantly extended at his command as he raised it above his head. “Ready, Ladybuaaaaagh!” A fist slammed into his side and his trajectory was undoubtably smacked off-course. He hit the ground hard and rolled a little ways.

“Watch out, Chat!” A yell echoed across the little square Adrien had landed in.

“Little late, m’lady!” He pushed himself up on shaky arms, too bashed and bruised to pretend he was unbreakable anymore.

“No, WATCH OUT! There are two of them!”

“Huh?” He just had time to swear underneath his breath before he was punted out of the battle by the same foot that had come at him not fifteen minutes ago. “Not again!” He sailed through the air, tail flapping behind him. “I sure hope I have nine lives.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Adrien is hurt and has trouble accepting that :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also am going to try to get someone to proof-read my chapters before I post them but until then, I'd appreciate it if you guys could point out any mistakes! Thanks!

“I sure hope I have nine lives.” Chat plummeted towards the ground at what definitely would be break-neck speed. Marinette’s heart almost stopped when she saw him flailing like a rag doll. Good thing she’d been doing this a while. Marinette hardly had to think as her body flew into action, racing towards him. _C’mon c’mon!_ She threw her yo-yo, hoping her mental math was correct and panicking for a moment as her confidence shattered. But she regained her smile as the chord expertly carried out her plan by coiling and twisting until she had successfully and tightly— _oops_ —tied Chat to a chimney.

“You won’t have to find out.” She grinned, stepping up to him.

“Wha—huh?” He panted, opening his eyes.

“…whether you have nine lives.” She faltered, scratching the back of her head. But he beamed up at her suddenly.

“Good thing, too. I was beginning to lose confidence in my ability to come back from the dead. I feel like it would’ve _kicked_ in already if I did… pun intended.”

Marinette’s laugh caught in her throat when Chat winced in pain.

“Um, can you let me down? I think my airway is being hugged a little too tightly. Not that I mind hugs from you—”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” She pulled at the coils and they fell apart instantly.

Chat tumbled down onto the roof with a pained “ouch” but instead of getting up and making a joke, he just laid on his back, visibly enjoying a deep breath.

“Um, do you need some help up?”

“Oh, no! Um… ha. I’m just gonna… breathe for a minute.” Marinette must’ve let her concern show through because he quickly recovered. “You care about me! I saw that worried face!”  
Marinette crossed her arms.

“I’m fine, really. Just need a breather.” He grinned.

She smiled back and let a hand card through his hair. “Okay, you just rest while I try to figure out a way to stop these guys.” She turned to face the twin villains.

“No, wait, I’m good to go!” She watched him try to scramble to his feet and gasp painfully as his wrist tried to take his weight.

“No. You wait here.” She pushed him back down. “Besides, you don’t have to pretend to be invincible. We’ve been fighting together for how long now? I can tell when you’re hurt.”

His resolve crumbled. “But we’re a team! I can’t just let you—”

“A good teammate knows when to step back. You’re no use to me dead.”

“But I’m no use just sitting here either! I’m the distraction, remember?” He smirked. “As always.”

“Just let me protect you. I’ll figure it out.” She smiled. “Ya gonna trust me, kitty?”

 

***

 

Adrien didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Of course he trusted her, how did she think they’d survived together this long? But he hadn’t done anything to help the _colossal_ fight ( _now is probably not ideal for pun-idge but what can I say? This brain doesn’t have an off-switch_ ) she’d be facing now. Of course she was good—he knows she’d faced more than two villains at once without him before—but he wanted to help. Needed to help. How could he be worthy of fighting beside her if he didn’t at least make her job easier? At his silence, Marinette cocked an eyebrow expectantly. _Oh, um…_

He knew that if he really wanted to make her job easier, though, he would stay out of her way. He could hardly stand in this state, let alone fight. He didn’t trust his voice to stay even so he just nodded mutely.

She slid her fingers behind his left kitty-ear and scratched. He leaned into the touch weakly. “Good boy, Chat. Don’t worry, I’ll get them.”

“I know. I just… be careful.” He should’ve stayed quiet. There had been a few breaks in there.

She winked at him but he couldn’t meet her eyes. “Try to hang in there. When I reset the timeline, you’ll be all healed up.” He sat frozen while she ran after the giants.

While Ladybug threw punches and took hits, Adrien picked at some cracked paint by his thigh. He flinched when she caught a knee to the stomach and just that movement was enough to make him grunt in pain. He must’ve broken something. A lot of things, actually.

Adrien really couldn’t let himself watch her without being able to jump in and help so he decided to look himself over. He tried moving arms, legs, tail, etc. to see what exactly he couldn’t move and had to stop a few times to clear his mind of the fog of aches and sharp pains that shot across his body.

He’d barely figured out the list of Places to Avoid Touching when a blood-curdling scream split through his concentration.

“Ladybug!”

 

***

 

Marinette quickly learned that the only thing worse than two giants tearing across Paris was three giants tearing across Paris. This forced her to work quickly. She’d figured out what Chat had predicted earlier; they did have additional powers. These colossal villains seemed to multiply whenever she looked away.

And worse, she'd gotten close enough to hear their conversation. “Oh great, you got us lost!” The first giant spoke.

“Okay, let’s calm down. It’s not my fault you didn’t want to ask for directions!” The second spoke up in a defensive tone. Clearly the more calm of the two.

“Well, we can just start phase two here, I suppose.”

_What?? Okay, so they’re not a hive-mind…_ “Not on my watch!” Marinette jumped forward, yo-yo at the ready.

And then she was snatched out of the air. Now she knew how Chat must’ve felt. Her lungs were being emptied of air.

“Can’t… breathe…” She choked out, vision clouding.

“Luther! We need them alive!” The first giant shrieked.

“Oh, sorry!” The second—Luther?—loosened its hold on Marinette and she gasped, lungs flooding with oxygen.

“Well, that’s one down. Now where’s the school?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat can barely move so he makes a plan *le gasp* and it kind of works

Adrien stared at the scene before him. Ladybug’s limp, choking body being carried away from him in the hands of two monsters. The third was trailing behind. He squeaked out another yell for her but there was no answer. She couldn’t hear him. _Probably out of earshot_ he assured himself. But his mind raced, coming up with deadly reasons why she wasn’t answering. _Stop it! She’s fine! She’ll be fine!_

The giants staggered away, like they had all the time in the world now that Ladybug was in their grasp. Adrien grit his teeth angrily. “Hey!” He screamed at their retreating forms. “I’m not done with you yet!” He managed to get out before his body was forced into a coughing fit. They kept walking.

He tried again to stand, this time carefully avoiding his left wrist. _Well…_ He flinched as his hip tweaked painfully and he had to readjust his posture. _It’s something._ He still definitely couldn’t fight but he could at the very least tag along.

 _I’ve got to see what they’re planning._ Then maybe he could at least make their lives as difficult as possible while they tore Paris to shreds. If there’s one thing he was good at it was being annoying. Well, that’s what Ladybug would say. He smiled.

He could do this… for her.

Adrien took a few shaky steps. He bit his lip when pain stabbed at his ribs. _I can do this._ He continued to the edge of the roof and looked down. Ooh, that was a long way down. He glanced back up to the villains’ retreating forms. Adrien stepped over the edge.

His uninjured arm shot out, scratching lines into the building to slow his fall. It worked beautifully and he reached the ground no more bashed up than he was already but his ribs ached like crazy from the muscle use. Something he’d definitely have to pay more attention to. He swiftly added right-hand ribs to his list of Places to Not Touch.

“Hey Chat Noir! Over here”

He whipped his head around, looking for someone to save from the rubble all around him, but instead Alya waved back. He sighed in relief. “Oh! Al— I mean, random citizen! What are you doing out here?”

She grinned and the blinking light on her phone camera caught his attention. It was pointed directly at him. Oh. “How’s the fight going? Where’s Ladybug? What’s the scoop with these multiplying villains?”

He didn’t have time for this. “Sorry, I—” He pushed the camera away and it took everything he had to not wince when the pain in his ribs flared up again.

Thankfully, she seemed to get the message. The camera’s light turned off. “Chat…? What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing!” He flashed his pearly whites. “I’ll get it under control.”

She looked unimpressed. Which tended to be most people’s response to him. “Can… I do anything to help?”

He was about to turn her down but then his mind processed what she had said. “Hey, that would actually be exactly what I need!”

***

Marinette had been able to work the hand holding the yo-yo out of the giant’s grip without him noticing and she felt very proud of herself.

“Hey! Little girl!” The female villain looked down at Marinette with beady eyes.

Our hero was shaken violently. “What do you want?” She spat. Probably not the smartest thing if she wanted to stay alive but she was angry. Also trying to buy time.

“Where’s your school?” The giant called Luther pressed gently for an answer.

She answered with silence. After a few moments, he seemed to lose his patience with her. He shook her again in his fist, this time so hard that she began to get whiplash in her neck.

“Where. Is. Your. School.” He repeated flatly.

Her brain fought to figure some way of gaining the upper hand again. She couldn’t move. So that took away her yo-yo and lucky charm. What else could she do?

“Answer him!” The other giant shrieked. “Answer him or we’ll squeeze the life out of you!”

His fingers tightened around her. Marinette felt her lungs begin to empty again.

“Okay okay!” She wheezed. “It’s that building there.” She nodded in the direction opposite the school.

She thought about keeping them occupied for hours so she could think, until the first giant narrowed her eyes and told Marinette that if they hadn’t found the school in ten minutes, her friend Luther would act on their previous threat.

Marinette gulped. Okay, she had ten minutes to beat them. She just hoped Chat wouldn’t do anything stupid like try to rescue her.

“Afternoon, m’lady.” A yell came from below her.

 _Oh well. I guess we can’t have everything we want. Could he_ be _anymore stupid?!_

Marinette was about to yell back when her yo-yo began to vibrate in her hand. An in-coming call from you-know-who.

She swiped to answer, keeping her movements small and her voice low. “Get out of here! You need to heal up! How… did you even get here? You were barely able to move when I left you!”

“Hey!” At least Chat got the message and kept his voice down to match hers. “I could stand thank you very much! And walk too.” He spoke like he expected her to throw him a parade in celebration.

She rolled her eyes.

“I can hear that eye-roll from here.” He sounded miffed.

“What else would I do in response to that?” She raised her eyebrows, painfully aware of the ticking clock they were now on, but also wanting him to know just how infuriating he was.

“We’ll get back to your blatant disregard of my triumph after we’ve solved the current problem.”

“Agreed.” She switched gears. “They’re trying to get to the school. I’m leading them in the opposite direction but we have ten minutes before they find out I lied and... dish out consequences?”

There was a short silence.

“Chat, are you there?”

“Yeah, yeah, just—ouch Alya!—thinking.”

“Does it hurt that bad to think?” She snickered before realizing what he’d just said. “Wait, Alya’s with you?! Was she hurt? Are you rescuing her right now?”

Nervous laughter crackled across the line. “Well, no. She’s fine! But ya see, she’s kindaaaaaaagh—I swear, Alya, if you bump me again—kinda being my legs right now.”

Marinette bristled. “Chat, you leave her out of—”

“Ladybug! You need us.” His voice was insistent. “Besides, I have a plan!”

She sighed. “So did I, but you may have the better view of our surroundings so… Okay, what were you thinking?”

“Leave it to me, m’lady.” She didn’t have to see Chat to know he was winking.

“Just this once.” She teased.


End file.
